The present invention relates to a method of purifying sulfuryl fluoride by treating contaminated sulfuryl fluoride with activated alumina and/or activated carbon.
Sulfuryl fluoride is employed as a space fumigant, particularly for the control of termites. As a result of this utility sulfuryl fluoride comes in contact with the valuable contents of homes, museums, and commercial buildings and it is, therefore, critical that it not be harmful to a wide variety of materials. Many of the typical low level impurities of sulfuryl fluoride, however, are capable of tarnishing metals, etching glass, and degrading fabrics. Among the deleterious impurities often found in small amounts in impure sulfuryl fluoride are hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, thionyl fluoride, sulfur dioxide, and chlorinated hydrocarbons. The only known methods of removing these deleterious impurities is by distillation or by extraction with water, both of which have serious deficiencies in terms of the completeness of the removal or of introducing new problems associated with water. The discovery of new methods of removing small amounts of impurities such as hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, thionyl fluoride, sulfur dioxide, and chlorinated hydrocarbons from sulfuryl fluoride is, accordingly, highly desirable.